


The Campbell Way

by roguefaerie (samidha)



Series: Among the Trees [11]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Azazel (Supernatural)'s Special Children, Dean Winchester Has Powers, Gen, Mary Winchester Lives, Mary Winchester Raises Dean Winchester and Sam Winchester, Mentions of Special Children Characters, Mirrors, Sam Winchester Has Powers, Young Winchesters (Supernatural)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-03
Updated: 2018-05-03
Packaged: 2019-05-01 18:01:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14526111
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/samidha/pseuds/roguefaerie
Summary: Mary sends Dean and Sam on their way to meet more of their family among the Special Children.





	The Campbell Way

Mary and Sam exchange as few words as possible about what he can see in the mirror.

He knows that it’s there, and what it is. If he were to spend time staring into the world on the other side of it, he might see all manner of things he doesn’t want to see.

Sam is thirteen now, and there he and Dean are, still pulling in strays. It’s Dean who talks them around to it, ironically, after they realize how nice Sam is.

Sam and Dean both go quiet, just in different ways, at different times.

Dean knows enough to know his Mama is good, down into her bones, and others would need her, need her to go to bat for them, if Doug and Jer are any indication at all. And just because everyone could use a Mama now and again. So he’s good at getting them to come with him.

The pieces of the puzzle are slowly coming together.

They’re a team, and family means the people on your team, the ones who’ll come home to your mother and not flinch at the family stories.

That’s how they know they have to start finding as many kids like them as there are.

They don’t say much to Mary at first, but she sees it all. The microfiche, the newspapers, the slightly unmoored feeling that makes them both fidgety. 

So she takes Sam aside first, and then says it’s time to go get Dean.

They sit in her room close to the mirror and it flickers and almost buzzes.

Inside the house, so Dean might talk in his own way.

“Dean.”

“Yes, Mama.”

“My name…” she starts, and then looks at Sam, lost. “My name was Mary Campbell. Before it was Winchester. I want you to keep that with you, all right? In case it ever unlocks any doors. There were things...things I saw, things my family saw…”

“They don’t come to the trees,” Dean says.

“No, Dean, they don’t. But...if you and Sam keep...and you should.”

“Outside the trees, there’s different rules,” Sam says softly. “Like in the mirror.”

“Like in the mirror,” Mary agrees. “I’ve done what I could to shield both of you. But we still live in the world we live in.”

“We’ll be careful, Mama,” Dean says. “We...we have…”

“You have your ways. The Campbell-Winchester blood.”

Sam nods solemnly, tucking this away like a prized bit o lore.

“Your father was cruel. But he gave me both of you. I can’t fault him for that part. I think...I think, both of you… I’m proud of what you’re doing. And Dean, when you’re old enough to legally drive, you can take the car.”

“I can?”

“Sure can. But now...the bus, the train, okay? It’s not glamorous, but it’ll get you where you two need to go.”

“You got it, Mom.”

“Mom,” Sam says. “Are we….?”

“Hunters, Sam. My family were hunters.”

Sam nods again. Click. Shuts the information where it needs to go. “I’ve seen some of it,” he says. “In the mirror.”

Mary shivers, but nods. “I know you have, Sam. There’s no escaping it, it’s...our past and...maybe your future. I have faith that...everything you’ve learned under the trees, it’ll follow you and help you where you need to go. You need to meet the rest of your family.”

Dean nods, tight, just like John and Mary sighs.

“Boys, Mama’s tired.”

Sam stares into the mirror, biting his lip. “It must be tiring to be a hunter,” he says. “All this.” He looks at Mary carefully, cautious, calculating maybe. Worrying. She sees it and presses on.

“And dangerous, Sam, very dangerous,” Mary says. “But I know you’ll be careful.”

“Yeah. I will, Mom.”

“Good boy. All right, Dean. You take care of him.”

“I will.”

“And when you get there in a few days, you tell Lily your Mama says hi.”


End file.
